Unheroic

If you recall in my earlier post, I decided I would give Heroes one last chance to redeem itself. After the vastly disappointing second season, the writers had a lot of making up to do. So last night the show returned with a 2-hour premiere. And just how was it?

Meh.

I did see some sparks of life that reminded me of the show that once was. Claire vs. Sylar in her own home. The potential twist that Ando becomes a supervillain in the future. And Mama Petrelli's startling cliffhanger statement:

Sylar: You're not my mother!
Mama P: Oh but darling...I am.

I swear, if the show was just about her, I'd still be watching. Cristine Rose - fabulous actress.

But that really just wasn't enough to keep me looped in. There was still so much season 2 mess to clean up that I got bored quickly. Future Peter? Go back, please. Mohinder is with Maya - wait, why is she still on this show? Oh, and he suddenly loses all of his rationale and injects himself with an experimental substance. Sylar kills everyone, and Kristen Bell's character is still lame. That little revelation about Ando? Hiro casually mentions it to him, using up any potential plot tension.

I give up. I've got better things to do with my Monday nights, anyway. Barney and Robin on How I Met Your Mother - will they or won't they? THAT is an interesting plot point.

Stalking Sarah Marshall?

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Although clearly a child of the Judd Apatow school, this film is closest to Knocked Up in style. That's because it's a blend of very adult humor that isn't afraid to hit below the belt ("I just went from 6 p.m. to Midnight."), and also a good old-fashioned romantic comedy.

Jason Segel stars in and is the screenwriter for this very funny movie. He's always been a real charmer on How I Met Your Mother, but easily steps into the lead role here. And yes, he's naked. Several times. And you see it all. Not bad, that Mr. Segel!

And while the supporting cast is also amusing (Kristen Bell as an annoying diva, Paul Rudd as an incredibly hot surfing instructor), the shining star is Mila Kunis. Sure, her tan is super-fake. But she is beautiful, funny, and helps you forget that shrew she played on That 70's Show.

On a side note, if this movie doesn't make you want to visit Hawai'i, then what's wrong with you???

Grade: A-

Newsflash - Britney doesn't suck!

Yes, it's true. Britney Spears appeared in this week's episode of TV's best comedy, How I Met Your Mother.

And she wasn't terrible! Granted, her line at the end about having sex doesn't exactly help her party girl image, but on the whole she was...not bad. (If you want to watch the full episode, just click on the link above.)

The episode is great regardless, capped off with the sweetest speed date of all time. Sarah Chalke just rocks! Could she possibly be the woman with the yellow umbrella?

Marvelous Mondays

At long last, the fall TV season is here! It's premiere week, and Monday was a return to favorites for me.

The night started with How I Met Your Mother. When we last left the fab five, Marshall and Lily got married, and we learned that Ted and Robin had broken up. Barney was stoked to have a fellow bachelor once again.

Well it didn't go so well, considering Robin brought back Enrique Iglesias as her new beau. This sends Ted into a jealous rage, and he goes off for a night of drunken debauchery with Mandy Moore (playing against type - what, Lindsay Lohan wasn't available?). In the end he was "tramp stamped" by a girly butterfly tattoo on his back. Schmuck!

But the highlight is Barney's line, "B the W..." Ha! IM-speak!

CBS is following up the show with The Big Bang Theory, which is basically about a bunch of super-smart geeks who befriend a waitress from the Cheesecake Factory. Seriously. I smiled a couple times, but I sincerely doubt there are enough laughs to last a season. (Next week I'll be trying CW's Alien in America instead.)

And then...there was Heroes. It's four months later, and what are our friends up to?

Well, the Bennet family has relocated to a place in California, and try their best to live unexceptional lives so as not to attract the attention of "The Company." It gets dragged out all episode, but we get it - they don't enjoy this thing. Claire is also having a pseudo-flirtation with a guy that turns out to be super-powered himself - he can fly. They're a match made in heaven - if they do the Superman kiss n' fly thing, if he accidentally drops her, no big deal!

Meanwhile, Matt got a divorce (um, wasn't his wife PREGNANT?), and is living with Mohinder (not like THAT, you gay conspiracy theorists). They are protecting Molly, who is having nightmares - are they about Sylar? Or something more sinister?

Nathan is now a drunk, as he appears to have survived, but thinks that Peter didn't. He's got a big ol' beard, which he manages to look hot in.

And Hiro finds himself in the past, meeting his "hero" Mr. Kenzei. Who appears to be not so heroic after all, and Hiro may have mistakenly altered the past. Will that affect the future?

Let's hope that he can correct it, as the future isn't so bright. Some mysterious hooded figure from "the remaining nine" threatens the lives of both Hiro's father and Mama Petrelli. Ando isn't in time to save Mr. Kaito. Nooo!!!! George Takei!!!! (We do manage to get a clear picture that Kaito and Mama P obviously know each other quite well - could there be other heroic parents in hiding?)

We also meet two new heroes, a brother and sister act from south of the border. Who are Maya and Alejandro? And what power does she have that can kill a truckload of people and leave their eyes bleeding? It doesn't sound pretty, that's for sure.

Oh, and Peter? Alive. With a better haircut. Locked in a crate in Cork, Ireland of all places. And he doesn't remember who he is. Did I mention he's wearing a necklace with that sinister S symbol?

Niki/Ikin, D.L. and Micah? I wish I knew!

Falling Down For Fall TV

Woot! It's almost time for the fall TV season! And thanks to Entertainment Weekly's fall TV preview, I've decided on my tentative plan for what I'll be watching. As is my custom, I'll be trying out a few new shows to see if I can discover a new obsession. That's what I did in the cases of Heroes and Lost, and look at them now!

So here it is, my plan. But I'll keep an open mind, you never know what buzz might sway my mind!

SUNDAY

Still a virtual wasteland, at least I can count on The Simpsons and King of the Hill for laughs. But I will need to try out Viva Laughlin. At first I thought it was just some Vegas show featuring occasional appearances by Hugh Jackman. But it turns out, it's a MUSICAL. It will be either awesome or tragic. I can hardly wait to find out which. The real question is when the next season of The Amazing Race will start?

MONDAY

Starting the night will be How I Met Your Mother. And thank you, EW for the big spread highlighting the show! Man, it's so good. At 8:30, I'm going to give the CW's Aliens in America a spin. It sounds like an interesting take on the classic fish out of water genre - a Pakistani kid gets plopped down into a midwest school. After that, of course we'll be watching Heroes - anxious to see what's happening with Hiro in feudal Japan!

TUESDAY

Potentially a Netflix night, but I do want to test drive the CW's new show, Reaper. A guy finds out his parents sold his soul to the devil. Now he has to catch escapees from hell. Weird, wild fun, right? Sure, it may have some icky bad guys, but I can't imagine it would be any scarier than Charmed or Buffy. In some ways the lead sounds like he's a pseudo-superhero, and you know I dig that.

WEDNESDAY

As usual, the networks insist on cramming all the juicy stuff on one night. Damn you! As much as I'd like to try out ABC's unusual Pushing Daisies or the potential train wreck of CBS's Kid Nation, you know I'll be strutting the catwalk with America's Next Top Model. After that, I will be crossing my fingers that Private Practice is good stuff. You know I love me some Kate Walsh, and now they have Audra McDonald, whom I adore. And although we must wait until February, Lost will be there. (Although there is a rumor about the show being relocated to Sunday, which is fine by me.) Fortunately, we should have Project Runway coming up in October, which will make life oh-so-sweet.

THURSDAY

Not much on this night, but I'll be alternating between Grey's Anatomy and The Office/Scrubs block. (Watching the latter when the former is in reruns, or if it gets sucky.) The bad news is that NBC is pulling its shows from iTunes, so no more downloading episodes of The Office or Battlestar Galactica (NBC owns the SciFi channel)! It's as if NBC is determined to have me hate them even more. It almost makes me want to avoid My Name Is Earl!

FRIDAY

If we're at home, it's Netflix all the way.

SATURDAY

In case you missed the memo, the networks no longer air original programming on this night (other than Cops - ick). So go outside and party like it's 1999. (Or watch a Netflix movie.)

And that's my plan. Looks like my weekly schedule won't be drastically different than last season, other than a potential show for Tuesdays. Thank goodness we started our Netflix subscription - it's really made life more enjoyable!

Go See This Movie

I know I'm not normally that to-the-point in my movie reviews. But this one was easy.

The film is Knocked Up. It is a movie directed by Judd Apatow, who brought us the hilarious 40 Year-Old Virgin.

It is hilarious. No, not hilarious. FUCKING hilarious. Like rocking-in-your-chair-I-gotta-pee funny.

The concept of the movie is simple, and the dialogue is mostly improvised. Yet it retains a tender heart that will turn even the most hardened heart into a baby-lover.

What really makes the movie shine is the cast. It's just brilliance all around! Seth Rogen is the loveable Jewish shlub, and I'm not ashamed to say I think he's sexy. He has a bevy of pothead buddies, led by Jason Segel, our own Marshall from How I Met Your Mother. And he gets naked! And then there's the always adorable Paul Rudd, who just oozes comic intelligence.

But if anyone steals the show, it's the ladies. Katherine Heigl sheds any memory of Izzie, playing the kind of woman who can hang out with the guys and still be cool. She plays off of Leslie Mann, who portrays the sister, and in real-life is Apatow's wife. Her comic sense is genius. Heck, even the little girls are adorable and funny (and they are Apatow's kids - talk about nepotism).

My favorites, though, have to be the bit parts. Kristen Wiig of SNL is hilarious as a TV exec that can't hide her jealousy. And how can you not love Charlyne Yi as a stoner girl? I can't repeat any of her lines - you have to see her to believe her!

So in summary - the movie is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Go see it. Do it now! You won't be disappointed.

Just don't take your parents - trust me.

Thank you, CBS

For once I'm grateful to CBS. I know!

But they announced the fall season, and our favorite new sitcom, How I Met Your Mother is back.

Also interesting - a new show starring none other than Hugh Jackman? Yeah - just try and keep me away from that one!

Dad, Tell Us A Story

Despite all the drivel that represents sitcoms on network TV today, there are a few bright exceptions. Some time ago you folks turned me onto The Office. (My word it was funny this week with Kelly being the customer service guru.) And My Name Is Earl is a hoot, too. ("Oh, SNAP!")

But it was the persistence of my own ScottE that opened my eyes to How I Met Your Mother. And that's surprising when you consider the pedigree.

I mean, we're talking about a sitcom on CBS. That's narrated by Bob Saget. That features Neil Patrick Harris as a love machine...for women. The premise seems set up to have a definite end point that can't be far off.

And yet, the ensemble has become one of the tighest comedic talents on TV today. With clever writing on all kinds of topics, I find myself laughing out loud quite a bit. Some episodes are just OK, but a few are so witty that they should be snagging Emmys. Tonight's look at Harris' Barney pursuing his dream of being on The Price Is Right was...priceless. Not to mention Alyson Hannigan's Lily trying to GAIN weight to fit into her wedding dress. (Trust me, it was hilarious.) And the pinnacle was an episode that took a cue from Memento by going further and further back in time to examine how the day's events became such a disaster.

Here's hoping that we don't find out exactly how he met their mother any time soon!